Coping with Depression

When you’re depressed, you can’t just will yourself to “snap out of it.” But these tips can help put you on the road to recovery.

Why is dealing with depression so difficult?

Depression drains your energy, hope, and drive, making it difficult to take the steps that will help you to feel better. Sometimes, just thinking about the things you should do to feel better, like exercising or spending time with friends, can seem exhausting or impossible to put into action.

It’s the Catch-22 of depression recovery: The things that help the most are the things that are the most difficult to do. There is a big difference, however, between something that’s difficult and something that’s impossible. While recovering from depression isn’t quick or easy, you do have more control than you realize—even if your depression is severe and stubbornly persistent. The key is to start small and build from there. You may not have much energy, but by drawing on all your reserves, you should have enough to take a walk around the block or pick up the phone to call a loved one, for example.

Taking the first step is always the hardest. But going for a walk or getting up and dancing to your favorite music, for example, is something you can do right now. And it can substantially boost your mood and energy for several hours—long enough to put a second recovery step into action, such as preparing a mood-boosting meal or arranging to meet an old friend. By taking the following small but positive steps day by day, you’ll soon lift the heavy fog of depression and find yourself feeling happier, healthier, and more hopeful again.

Coping with depression tip 1: Reach out and stay connected

Getting support plays an essential role in overcoming depression. On your own, it can be difficult to maintain a healthy perspective and sustain the effort required to beat depression. At the same time, the very nature of depression makes it difficult to reach out for help. When you’re depressed, the tendency is to withdraw and isolate so that connecting to even close family members and friends can be tough.

You may feel too exhausted to talk, ashamed at your situation, or guilty for neglecting certain relationships. But this is just the depression talking. Staying connected to other people and taking part in social activities will make a world of difference in your mood and outlook. Reaching out is not a sign of weakness and it won’t mean you’re a burden to others. Your loved ones care about you and want to help. And if you don’t feel that you have anyone to turn to, it’s never too late to build new friendships and improve your support network.

How to reach out for depression support

Look for support from people who make you feel safe and cared for. The person you talk to doesn’t have to be able to fix you; they just need to be a good listener—someone who’ll listen attentively and compassionately without being distracted or judging you.

Make face-time a priority. Phone calls, social media, and texting are great ways to stay in touch, but they don’t replace good old-fashioned in-person quality time. The simple act of talking to someone face to face about how you feel can play a big role in relieving depression and keeping it away.

Try to keep up with social activities even if you don’t feel like it. Often when you’re depressed, it feels more comfortable to retreat into your shell, but being around other people will make you feel less depressed.

Find ways to support others. It’s nice to receive support, but research shows you get an even bigger mood boost from providing support yourself. So find ways—both big and small—to help others: volunteer, be a listening ear for a friend, do something nice for somebody.

Care for a pet. While nothing can replace the human connection, pets can bring joy and companionship into your life and help you feel less isolated. Caring for a pet can also get you outside of yourself and give you a sense of being needed—both powerful antidotes to depression.

Join a support group for depression. Being with others dealing with depression can go a long way in reducing your sense of isolation. You can also encourage each other, give and receive advice on how to cope, and share your experiences.

Tip 2: Do things that make you feel good

In order to overcome depression, you have to do things that relax and energize you. This includes following a healthy lifestyle, learning how to better manage stress, setting limits on what you’re able to do, and scheduling fun activities into your day.

Do things you enjoy (or used to)

Being successful isn't difficult. However, being extremely successful is difficult. Despite this, we all want to reach extraordinary success (which we all define differently). Unfortunately, there is no magic bullet. There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution. However, there are several characteristics that all successful people have in common...especially those who have a huge impact on the lives of others.

Check how many of these apply to you:

1. You find joy in other people's accomplishments.

Great business teams succeed because their most skilled members are prepared to put themselves in harm's way to make others happy. Great teams are made up of employees who help one another, understand their duties, put personal objectives aside, and prioritize team success over all else.

What is the source of that attitude?

"Can you make the option that your happiness will come from the achievement of others?" every successful person responds with a resounding "Yes!"

2. You're always looking for new things to do.

Gambling, drug abuse, attention deficit disorder, and jumping off of perfectly good planes without a parachute are all linked to novelty-seeking—getting bored fast and pouring yourself into new pastimes or activities. Dr. Robert Cloninger, on the other hand, believes that "Novelty seeking is one of the personality attributes that help you stay healthy and happy as you become older. ... You obtain innovation that serves society as a whole when you mix adventurousness and curiosity with tenacity and an understanding that it's not all about you." "To succeed, you need to be able to control your impulses while still having the creativity to imagine what the future would be like if you attempted something new," Cloninger adds.

Sounds like everyone I know is successful.

So go ahead and do it. Embrace your inner explorer of new things. You'll be healthier, have more friends, and be more content with your life in general.

3. You don't consider work/life balance; instead, you consider life.

It's nearly impossible to keep symbolic work/life boundaries. Why? You are your own company. There is no separation since your business is your life, just as your life is your business—which also applies to family, friends, and interests—so there is no separation. Extremely successful people discover methods to embrace family instead of excluding work. They discover methods to incorporate their personal ideals, hobbies, and passions into their daily work lives. If you can't, you're just working, not living.

4. You have a high level of empathy.

Unless you invent something completely new, which is extremely difficult, your business or career is built on meeting a need or solving a problem. Without the ability to put yourself in another person's shoes, it's impossible to identify a need or a problem. That is the sign of a successful entrepreneur. Successful leaders, on the other hand, go a step farther by regularly putting themselves in their colleagues' shoes. Success isn't a straight line that keeps going up. Success is a circle because no matter how big your company gets (or how big your ego gets), it all returns back to your people.

5. You need to prove something to yourself.

Many people are driven by a desire to prove others wrong. That is an excellent incentive. People that are incredibly successful are motivated by something deeper and more personal. True motivation, passion, and commitment stem from a desire to prove something to the most important person in the world.

6. You don't believe in the 40-hour workweek fad.

Working more than 40 hours per week has been shown to reduce productivity in studies. Successful people not only work smarter, but they also work harder than their competitors. (I'm sure every successful entrepreneur I know thinks the same thing when they read those stories.) "That's great. Hopefully, my rivals will believe that nonsense "( Richard North Patterson, the author, offers a fantastic narrative about Robert F. Kennedy. Jimmy Hoffa, the Teamsters' president, was the target of Kennedy's investigation (who some still believe is hanging out in Argentina with Elvis and Jim Morrison). Kennedy worked on the Hoffa case until around 2 a.m. one night. He passed the Teamsters building on his way home and noticed that the lights in Hoffa's office were still on, so he turned around and went back to work.

People who are smarter and more skilled than us will always exist. Successful folks simply have a stronger desire for it. They're vicious in their dealings with one another, especially when it comes to themselves. In other words, they work smarter while also working harder. That is their true key to success.

7. You see money to be a burden rather than a reward.

Buying 17 automobiles, stocking up on pricy antiques, importing Christmas trees, and paying $40,000 a year for a personal massage are all examples of entrepreneurial cautionary tales. Money isn't only a personal reward for successful people; it's also a way to grow a business, reward and develop staff, give back to the community...in short, it's a way to enhance not only their own lives but also the lives of others. Most importantly, they do so quietly, because the actual reward is always in the deed, not the acknowledgement.

8. You don't believe you're noteworthy.

In today's world of social media, everybody can act as their own publicist. Anyone can easily toot their own trumpet and revel in the glory of their knowledge and accomplishments. People that are truly successful do not. They acknowledge that desire, perseverance, and execution were important to their success, but they also acknowledge that key mentors and a large dose of luck played a role. Humility, asking questions, seeking advice, and, most importantly, acknowledging and applauding others pay off for exceptionally successful people because...

9. You understand that success comes and goes, but decency and respect last a lifetime.

It is unquestionably crucial to provide employees with improved salary, perks, and possibilities. However, no amount of money or perks can compensate for the loss of self-esteem and self-worth. The most important thing successful people give their employees, customers, vendors, and everyone else they come into contact with is dignity.

And you should, too, because once you do, everything else falls into place.

Gone are the days when we struggled to understand a few things that were previously unknown to us.

Photos in this article are for the purpose of illustration and views expressed are solely the opinions of the writer. All arguments and opinions should be directed to the writer. 

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